Freedom

If you are lucky enough to live free from oppression, that's not to be taken forgranted, it's to be celebrated.

Freedom

Today many of my Jewish friends and members of my family will be celebrating the Passover, a festival that remembers an ancient story about a people winning their freedom from oppression, which is always something to celebrate, and never something to be taken for granted.

So by way of wishing everyone a happy Passover, here are the lyrics of a song about this, which was made famous by the late great jazz trumpeter and singer, Louis Armstrong, amongst others. In a beautifuly simplistic and soulful way, this tells it all:

When Israel was in Egypt land

Let my people go,

They worked so hard they could not stand,

Let my people go

And the Lord said,“Go down Moses
Way down in Egypt land
Tell all Pharaoes to
Let My People Go!”

So Moses went to Egypt land,

Let my people go,

He made all Pharoes understand,

Let my people go

Yes the Lord said, “Go down Moses
Way down in Egypt land
Tell all Pharaoes to
Let My People Go!”

“Thus spoke the Lord,” bold Moses said,

"Let my people go

If not I’ll smite your firstborn dead,

Let my people go."

God, the Lord, said, “Go down Moses

Way down in Egypt land
Tell all Pharaoes to
Let My People Go!”

“Tell all Pharoes to

Let my people go!”

It doesn’t matter whether or not you believe in god or any religion, freedom is a fundamental human right. There are many people around the world denied this basic right, right now, and it’s a disgrace.

That’s why now and always it’s time to stand up and be counted. But please remember, the way of non-violence is the way to go.